Towel cabinet



y 23, 1929- s. A. STEINER 1,721,928 I TOWEL CABINET Original Filed 21927 2 SheetFSheet 1 fm zni or GEOeGEAJTE/NE/e,

ATTOBNEYS July 23, 1929. a. A. STEINER 1,721,923 I TOWEL cmamm: OriginalFiled Jan. 2B, :92? 2 Sheds-Sheet 2 1e GEOE6/4.JTE/NER Av-roewm ofcourse, all this should be accomplished with as little expense inmanufacturing as will be Patented July 23, 1929.

STATS GEORGE AnoLPn STEINER, or sAL'r LAKE CITY, UTAH.

TOWEL CABINET.

"Application filed January 28, 1927, Serial No. 164,277. Renewed June 7,1929.

the application of Frank G. Steiner, Case A, #tlldtlt, tiled March 12,1926, by reducing the amount of material used and consequently theexpense of manufacture. The cabinet is also an improvement over the oneshown in my Patent 1,596,125, August 17,

1926, by eliminating the stick for the clean towel roll and mal-zingprovision for more conveniently filling or loading the cabinet.

A towel cabinet is filled or loaded, andthe soiled towel. removed, by anattendant in the building where the cabinet may be placed, or by alaundry employe, and hence, the cabinets in different buildings will bein the charge of di'l'l'erent persons and as they are all for publicuse, persons with various degrees of mechanical knowledge and those invarious walks of life will be daily using the apparatus; hence, themechanism of a towel cabinet should be simple and easily understood andcapable of convenient manipulation so that no time will be lost infilling a cabinet or placing a clean towel therein and removing thesoiled one.

F urthermore, as these cabinets are merely an expense to the buildingowner and increase in the overhead, it is desirable to makethemanufacture, installation and care of them as inexpensive as possibleso that the owner can place the cabinets on the market at acomparatively small royalty fee.

Specifically, therefore, the objects of my invention areto make acabinet of strong, durable construction, one which can be easily andquickly filled and the soiled towel re moved and one not likely to bedamaged or put out of order when used by an ignorant or maliciouslyinclined person. lncldentally,

consistent with'good workmanship and neat and ornamental appearance ofthe cabinet in strengthened by a cross plate 11 preferably ofcomparatively thin sheet metal having its the washroom or whereverplaced.

The invention consists generally in various constructions andcombinations, all as hereinafter described and particularly pointed outin the claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of the specification,

a wall cabinet embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is a similar view showing the,

cabinet and its parts in position for loading; that is, stretching theweb of towel to the soiled towel roll;

Figure 3 is a sectional View on the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional View through a towel cabinet showing aslightly modified construction;

Figure 5 is a similar view showing a modi fied construction in positionfor loading; and

Figure 6 is a. sectional View on the line 6 6 of Figure l. v

In the drawings, 2 represents the side walls of the cabinet; 3, the top;4, a bottom plate or towel support; and 5, the front door which, whenopened, allows convenient access to the interior of the cabinet. Therear of the cabi net may be closed or it may be open as shown, as it isfastened upon'the wall, generally, and the wall acts asa means toprevent dust and dirt from entering thecabinet. The plate 4 at thebottom is preferably of less width than the depth of the cabinetproviding an opening or space 35 between the plate 4 and the wallwhereon the cabinet is mounted for the purposes hereinafter described.Upon this plate a the clean roll or fold of a towel 6 is placed andallowed to roll or unfold to facilitate the unwinding of the clean web.At the front the plate preferably has an upwardly I projecting flange orledge 7 which serves as a stop for the clean roll and this ledge isseparated from the front door of the cabinet by plates 9 pivotallysupported at 10 011 the side walls of the cabinet, the pivots beingpreferably at the upper rear corners of the plates as shown in Figures 1and 2 so that when the frame istilted forwardly a considerable space Vwill be formed between it and the wall for convenience in loading thecabinet, all as hereinafter described indetail. H

The plates-9 are connected and braced and ends suitably secured to theplates 9 and somewhat 8 shaped in cross section to form a curved guardbetween the feed rolls 12 and 13 which arejournaled in the plates 9 in'contiguous relation, preferably one in front of movement of theseplates.

the other on substantially the same level and having a drivingconnection between them such as a sprocket belt 14 so that the rollswill have the same peripheral speed. These rolls have roughenedsurfaces, preferably by sanding them, but in place of the sandedsurfaces I may provide a rubber or adhesive surface for each roll, theobject being to have a surface to which the web-of towel will adhere andcling sothat it will not slip on the surface of the roll but insteadwill act as a meansfor transmitting the pull of the user on the web tothe roll to cause it to be driven and in turn to drive the other rollsimultaneously. The plates 9 preferably have rearwardly extending ears 9and these cars are connected across the cabinet by a bracing rod 16which coopcrates with the plate 11 to strengthen the frame wherein thefeed rolls are mounted and prevent them from being racked or twistedwhen the cabinet is in use. A stop 17 is also preferably providedbeneath the plate 9 to engage therewith and limit the downward The upperedges of the plates have diagonal slots 18 therein extending to a pointnear the feed roll 12 and notches 19 are also preferably provided in theupper edge of the plates to receive what I term a pinch roll 20 overwhich the web of clean towel is stretched in loading the machine.Preparatory to loading, the pinch roll is placed in the notches 19 andthen the web of clean towel is stretched over this pinch roll,

thence downwardly through the gap 8 to de-,

pend in a loose loop below the cabinet. The end is then stretchedupwardly through the opening 35 to the soiled towel roll 21 which Iprefer to mount in guides or slots 22 provided in the sidewalls of thecabinet. A tension roll 23 is positioned in the cabinet in the rear ofthe roll 13 to contact with the web of soiled towel and exert a slighttension thereon and also operate as a means for straightening 'thewrinkles or folds that may have been formed in theweb. A rod 24 connectsthe side walls of the cabinet near the plate 4; and a flexible guard 25such as canvas or suitable fibrous material is stretched between thisrod and the rod '15and operates as a means to hold the roll of cleantowel in'place and also is adapted to be pushed or'bent forwardly inloading the cabinet so that more room will be provided in the rear ofthe clean roll for the attendants hand as he stretches the web uptheuser pulls down on the clean Web the pinch roll will be drawn againstthe feed roll and insure the clinging of the towel web to the feed rollsufficiently to drive the forward feed roll and in turn throughthesprocket belt revolve the rear feed roll. This rear feed roll beingin contact with the soiled towel web through the force of gravity willrevolve the roll 21 and wind up the solied web synchronously with theunwinding of the clean web from the clean roll. 7

I prefer to provide a stop device 26 operated by the user preparatory topulling on the web of towel, said stop device allowing one completerevolution of the feed rolls. This stop mechanism is shown and describedin the application of Steiner, VVasileski and Murdo $515,881, filedMarch 16, 1925, and I make no claim to the specific stop device herein.

In Figures 4 and 5 I have shown a modified construction which consistsin providing plates 27 preferably of metal having the curved guard plate11 between them and provided with upwardly extending cars 28 projectingto a point near the top of the cabinet and pivoted at 29 on the sidewalls and these plates have slots 30 therein to receive the soiled toweltake-up roll instead of having this roll mounted in guides in the sidewalls of the cabinet. The plates are also wider than those shown inconnection with Figures 1 and 2 and in addition to the notches 31 toreceive the bearings of the take-up roll 21 these plates have similarnotches 19 in the edges of slots 32which extend inwardly from the forward ends of the plates to points near the for ward feed roll. Thenotches 31 may be used to receive bearings of the soiled toweltake-uproll 21 preparatory to its insertion intozthe slots 30 while the pinchroll may be placed in the notches 19 until the operator is ready to havethe clean'towel web engaged with the surface of the feed roll. Themethodoffilling this modified form of cabinet is substantially the same asdescribed with reference to Figure 1 although I have shown the cleantowel roll 6 inthe form of a bolt on the floor or plate it instead ofbeing rolled up into a roll. This, however, is an obvious modificationin the manner of folding the web at the laundry and it may be deliveredeither as a roll or a bundle or bolt as convenience inay dictate.

In both of these cabinets the frame within the outercase of the cabinetis small and entirely above the clean towel roll, the object being toreduce manufacturing cost as much as possible by eliminating unnecessaryparts, it being found that'the supply of clean towel instead of beingsupported'by the inner frame such as shown in the Frank G. Steinerapplication above referred to. It is, of course, deslrable 1n a cabinetof this kind to economize space, there usually being none to spare inthe washrooms of an office building or hotel; hence, the arrangement ofthe feed rolls in close proximity to one another and the horizontalforward and rear relation which allows for the shortening of the heightof the upon the stops 17 or against the back ofthe cabinet and when theframeis lifted in filling the cabinet its release by the attendant willallow it to immediately drop by gravity to its horizontal usingposition. I

I claim as my invention:

1. A towel cabinet comprising a casing, a support for clean towel supplyin the lower port-ion of said casing, a frame wholly above said supportextending horizontally from front to rear of the cabinet and pivotallysupported to swing upwardly, delivery and take up feed rolls mounted insaid frame and having a driving connection between them and also havingsurfaces adapted to adhere to the towel web, a pinch roll mounted insaid frame and over which the clean web is stretched to depend betweenthe supply of clean towel and the front of the cabinet within convenientreach of the user, a pull on said web drawing it against said deliveryfeed roll to drive both of them, a take up roll whereon the soiled towelis wound to contact with said take up feed roll, said frame when tiltedupwardly on its pivots being adapted to swing its rear portion forwardlyand provide space in the rear of said frame to conveniently stretch theloose end of the towel web upwardly to the soiled towel take up roll.

2. A towel cabinet comprising a casing, a support for a clean towelsupply in said casing, a frame pivotally supported in said casing whollyabove said support, said frame being normally horizontal and adaptedtoswing vertically on its pivots, a pair of rolls journaled in saidframe, one in front of the other, and having a driving connectionbetween them for simultaneous movement, said rolls having surfacesadapted to adhere to a towel web and one of them forming a feed deliveryroll and the other a feed for the take up roll, the web of clean towelbeing adapted to be stretched upwardly from said towel supply to contactwith said feed delivery roll and thence to depend from said supply toform a loop in position to be grasped by the user, a

take up roll for the soiled towel mounted in guides in said casing andwhereon the loose end of the towel web isswound, the web of soiled towelcontacting with saidtake up feed roll to be revolved thereby, the upwardtilt+ ing of said frame exposing anropening inthe rear of said frame forconveniently Stretch: ingl the web of towel upwardly to said take up r0.a 'I 3. Atowel cabinet comprising alcasing, a shelf in the lowerportionthereof for sup porting a towel supply, a frame in, said casingabove said towel support and compris ing horizontally arrangedrearwardly, ex-

tending side plates'and a connecting plate between them, said sideplatesbeing pivotally mounted in said casing, and adapted to swingvertically;on their pivots to move said frame forwardly, delivery and take up feedrollsmounted in said plates, one in advance of the other, andhavingfadriving connection between them, said rolls having surfaces adapted toadhere to a towel web, the clean web being adapted to bestretchedupwardly from the towel supply to contact with the delivery feed rolland from thence depending to a position to be grasped and-pulled by theuser, a soiled towel take up roll mounted in guides in the walls of saidcasing and whereon, the loose end ofthetowelwebis wound for contact withsaid take up feed roll, said frame when tilted on its pivots beingadapted to expose a gap or opening in the rear of said frame throughwhich the loose towel web may be stretched to said take up roll.

4. A towel cabinet comprising a casing, a stationary support in thelower portion thereof, for a supply of clean towel, a frame pivoted insaid casing above said support and comprising side plates and aconnecting means between them, forward and rear delivery and take upfeed rolls journaled in said plates and having a driving connectionbetween them and provided with surfaces adapted to adhere to a towelweb, said plates having slots therein and a pinch roll fitting in saidslots and resting on said delivery feed roll, the web of clean towelbeing adapted to V be stretched upwardly around sald pinch roll and heldthereby against said delivery roll, the web depending from said pinchroll downwardly in position to be grasped by the user, a soiled toweltake up roll mounted in guides in the walls of said casing and whereonthe loose end of the towel may be wound to contact'with said take upfeed roll, said frame when tilted upwardly swinging its rear portionforwardly to allow convenient access to said take up roll in strechingthe web of towel thereto.

5. A towel cabinet comprising a casing, having in the lower portionthereof, a support for a clean towel supply, a frame pivoted within saidcasing and located above said support, delivery and take up feed rollsmounted in said frame, one in front of the other, and having a drivingconnection between them for simultaneous-movement, said feed rolishaving surfaces adapted to adhere to a towel web, said frame havingguides thereine'x-tendi-ng toward said delivery feed roll, a pinch rollfitting within said guides and adapted to rest on said delivery feedroll, said-frame also having notches to receive the bearings of saidpinch roll when it is removed from said guides, the web of clean towelbeing adapted to be stretched around said pinch roll and dependtherefrom within con venient reach of the user, a soiled towel take uproll mounted in guides in the walls of said casing and whereon the looseend of the towel web is wound to contact with said take up feed roll,said frame when tilted upwardly on its pivots being adapted to exposean-openinginthe rear of said frame andallow convenient stretching of thetowel web to said take up roll. r

6. A towel =cabinet comprising a casing having a support for a :cleantowel in the lower portion thereof, a frame comprising comparativelynar-row rigidly connected plates pivotally mounted in the upper portionof said casing-and extending horizontally therein from the front to therear and having-their lower edges above said support, delivery and takeup feed rolls journaled in said plates and arranged one in advance ofthe other; and having a drivi-ng connection the web of clean towelbeingada' tedto be stretched upwardly to contact wit saidde livery feedrolland from thence downwardly to depend in a loop in convenientvposition'to be grasped by-the user, a take up roll mounted in guides insaid casing and whereon the loose end of the towel web is wound forcontact with the peripheral surface of said take up feed roll, space"being provided in the rear of said clean towel, the tilting of saidframe exposing a gap in the rear thereof through which the web of towelmay-be conveniently stretched to the soiled towel take up roll. 7 p

7. A towel cabinet comprising an outer casing, a take up roll anda'tensio-n roll pivoted in the outer casing, an inner casing pivoted onpivots within the outer casing said lnner casing extending-on"bOtlTSlflQS of sald pivot the inner caslngh-aving a flexible web guarddepending downwardly at the rear of In witness whereof, I havehereuntoset my a hand this nineteenth-day of January, 1927.

GEORGE ADOLPH STEINER

